Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to apparatus for mounting marking lights and telemetry equipment to railroad cars, and particularly to an improved device for securing mountable equipment to the guard arm side of a coupler head.
2. Related Art
A wide variety of devices exist for the purpose of securing lights and other equipment to standard coupler heads, several of which are in use.
Generally, coupler heads are formed in a manner to have four relief holes arranged as two vertically spaced pairs of holes that are the terminus of two vertically spaced horizontal passageways in the guard arm side. Devices known to the prior art employ apparatus (1) that fits into and/or through the entire upper and/or lower passageway from front to rear; and (2) those that engage the pair of upper spaced or lower spaced holes. What is desired is a simple, rugged device that engages the front or rear vehicle pair of holes and does not require the additional apparatus to fit through the passageways.
Since legislation allowing for the removal of cabooses on trains, there have been several types of mounting arrangements for devices used at the end of a train to replace the lights and other warning devices of the removed cabooses.
One such arrangement is the application of a warning light and telemetry package that utilizes the flag hole in the rear coupler knuckle. While utilitarian, this arrangement is hard to apply because of how high you need to lift the equipment to install the mount into this position.
Other mounts use the coring holes in the coupler guard arm. However, each of the patented devices is an inferior device because the force exerted on the clamping arrangement is insufficient to keep the equipment tight and aligned in the proper direction.
Previous mounting arrangements utilize the coring hole pattern in a horizontal manner wherein the mount is placed in a left to right (horizontal) plane, rather than a vertical plane. Some of these arrangements become cumbersome due to the length of the mounting arrangement needed to traverse the coring holes in a horizontal plane. Since the distance between the lateral coring holes is larger than the relative distance between the vertical coring holes, use of the vertical coring holes allows for a more compact and useful mounting arrangement. Additionally, with the use of two movable arms in the vertical position, this allows for the equipment applied to this mount arrangement to always be parallel with the coring holes, allowing for the applied equipment to always be in line with the coupler and therefore to meet the intent of the FRA law on mounting warning light equipment to the rear of the train.
With the present embodiment, both a thread and scissors action is used to tighten the mount to the vertical coring holes, giving much more force and therefore a more secure fit than with other methods presently being employed.
In one aspect of the present invention there is provided a coupler mounting device for securing signaling and monitoring equipment to a coupler head of a railroad car comprising a base and a pair of engaging means carried by the base for engaging interior and exterior surfaces of each of a respective pair of vertically spaced relief holes formed in a coupler head, and operating means connected to at least one of the engaging means for selectively moving at least one engaging means in a direction directly opposite to another said engaging means to removably secure the base to a coupler head. The engaging means includes a pair of first arm means, each first arm means having a front portion for engaging a coupler head and a rear portion, means for mounting the rear portion to the base. The operating means further includes a pair of second arms having a front portion and a rear portion, first means for mounting the front portion of one second arm to the front portion of one first arm means, carrier means, and second means for mounting the rear portion of each second arm to the carrier means. The operating means further includes a rod having a non-threaded portion mounted to the base and a threaded portion mounted to the carrier means. The rod is rotatable in one direction to move the carrier means forwardly away from the mount base in a manner to cause the front portions of the second arms to move away from each other for moving one first arm means upwardly and the other first arm means downwardly to engage the front portions of the first arm means to a coupler head and is rotatable in another direction to move the carrier means rearwardly to cause the front portions of the second arms to move closer to each other for moving the one first arm means downwardly and the another first arm means upwardly to disengage the first arm means from a coupler head.
The device includes a pair of jaw members and means for mounting each jaw member to the front-end portion of each first arm means. The mounting means for mounting respective jaw member to the front portion includes means for rotatably mounting the respective the jaw member. The means for rotatably mounting includes rotation-limiting means for restricting the degree of rotation of respective jaw member.
In another aspect of the invention the operating means is selectively operable for moving the other engaging means away from the at least one engaging means. The pair of engaging means are disposed generally vertically and engage is respective oppositely disposed upper and lower portions of a pair of vertically spaced relief holes formed in a coupler. The pair of engaging means engage interior and exterior surfaces defining a pair of relief holes formed in a coupler head.
In a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a coupler mounting device for securing signaling and monitoring equipment to a coupler head of a railroad car comprising a mount base, engaging means carried by the mount base for engaging interior surfaces of each of a respective pair of vertically spaced relief holes formed in a coupler head, operating means connected to the engaging means for selectively moving the engaging means into and out of engagement with a coupler head, the engaging means into and out of engagement with a coupler head, the engaging means including a pair of movable arms with each arm having a front portion and a rear portion. Also included is means for mounting each rear portion to the mount base, the front portions of the arms being locatable adjacent to respective relief holes in a coupler head. The engaging means has a pair of jaw members, each jaw member being mounted to the front portion of respective arm and engageable with respective relief holes in a coupler head, the operating means further includes a pair of scissor links having a forward portion and a back portion and means for mounting the forward portion of each scissor link to respective front portions of the arms and movable means for mounting each back portion of the links. The operating means further includes a rod having a non-threaded portion rotatably mounted to the mount base and a threaded portion threadedly engaged with the movable means, the rod being rotatable in one direction to move the movable means forwardly away from the mount base to cause the forward portions of the scissor links to move away from each other, the arms being moved with one arm moving upwardly. There is also means for mounting each jaw member to front end portion of each arm, the rod being rotatable in another direction opposite to one direction to move the movable means rearwardly to cause the forward portions of the scissor links to move closer to each other and for moving the one arm downwardly and the other arm upwardly to disengage the jaw members from a coupler head. The mounting means for the jaw members includes means for rotatably mounting the respective jaw members to permit self-alignment of the jaw members to surfaces of a pair of relief holes, which includes means for limiting the degree of rotation of the respective jaw members. The base is adapted for the attachment of signaling and monitoring apparatus thereto. Each jaw member includes a pair of upstanding walls defining a channel therebetween.
In another aspect of the invention there is provided a coupler mounting device for securing signaling and monitoring equipment to the coupler head of a railroad car comprising a mount base and engaging means carried by the mount base for engaging interior and exterior surfaces of shoulders defining a respective pair of vertically spaced relief holes formed in a coupler head, and exterior operating means connected to the engaging means for selectively moving the engaging means into and out of engagement with a coupler head, the engaging means having at least one movable arm means, each arm having a front portion and a rear portion, means for mounting each rear portion to the mount base, the front portion being locatable to adjacent respective relief holes in a coupler head, the engaging means further having a pair of jaw members, one jaw member being mounted to the front portion of at least one movable arm means and engageable with inner and outer surfaces of a shoulder of a relief hole in a coupler head, the engaging means having another arm means with another jaw member being mounted thereto. There is also means for rotatably mounting respective jaw members to permit self-alignment of the jaw members to surfaces of shoulders of a pair of relief holes and means for limiting the degree of rotation of respective jaw members. In addition, each jaw member includes a pair of generally upstanding walls defining a sloping channel therebetween.
Additional aspects of the invention include engaging means including a pair of arm members each having a front portion for engaging a coupler head and a rear portion and first means for mounting one arm member to the base in a fixed position and second means for movably mounting another arm member to the base. Also included is a pair of jaw members, means for mounting each jaw member to the front-end portion of respective arm member. The operating means includes rotary means for selectively moving at least one engaging means vertically upwardly and downwardly. The second means includes rotary means for moving another arm member vertically upwardly and downwardly. The second means also includes a carrier attached to at least one engaging means, the rotary means being defined by an elongated screw having threads therealong, the carrier being threadably mounted to the screw. There is also included a guide means mounted between the base and the carrier for guiding the carrier in a substantially vertical path. The guide means includes at least one vertically disposed channel, the carrier including at least one post member located in at least one channel, the at least one channel and the at least one post member cooperatively guiding the carrier vertically.